Automatic self-balancing valve.



PATBNTED SEPT. 17, 19-07. T. M. HENDERSON. AUTOMATIC sELE BALANCING VALVE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 4, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS MARSH HENDERSON, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINlA, ASSTGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO B. RANDOLPH HICKS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC SELF-BALANCING VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

Application filed June 4,1906. Serial No. 320,088.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Mansn HENDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the-county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Automatic Self-Balancing Valve, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to valves, the object of the invention being to provide what may be termed an automatic self-balancing valve which is especially designed for use in connection with the air pumps of airbrake systems such as are at present in use on railway cars.

The valve which is now almost universally used in all pumps is of the winged type embodying wings which work in contact with the interior of the valve casing and act as a guiding means for seating the valve. In a very short time these wings form grooves in the inside of the valve casing and prevent the valve from working freely, obtaining a full stroke and seating itself firmly and snugly and with an air-tight fit against the valve seat.

Another disadvantage present with the form of valve referred to is found in the factthat the wings take up too much space within the interiorof the valve body and prevent the free and unobstructed passage of air through the valve body. Again, said wings, by grinding against the valve casing or cage, produce friction and heat which also has a r onstant tendency to cause the valve to bind and pound against the seat and the wings to break off.

The aim of this invention is to overcome the difficulties above-set forth, to provide for the free passage of 35 air through the valve from the air pump to the reservoir to distribute the bearing of the valve body equally over the interior of the valve casing or cage; toprovide for an atmospheric clearance and a consequent easy and smooth action of the valve and also to provide for the clearance of any obstructing sediment or matter which may lodge between the valve seat and the working face of the valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the introduction of a film or thin body of air between the 45 valve seat and the working face of the valve at the mo ment the valve is about to seat itself, thereby overcoming the disagreeable mechanical pounding of the valve, a very noticeable drawback present with the valves now in common use for the purpose specified.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel con struction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a valve embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is also a side elevation of the valve turned partially around to give a different view of the ports and intervening webs thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the valve taken centrally of the ports, and Fig. 4 is a diametrical section through the valve and valve casing, showing the valve closed.

The body of the improved valve is cylindrical as shown at l, the body being enlarged at one end, usually the upper end, to form a head or flange 2, the inner and lower face of which is beveled as shown at 3 to form the conical working face of the valve. This working face is usually ground until it is perfectly true, the valve seat being also ground correspondingly so that the valve will form an air-tight fit with the valve seat.

The valve body 1 is formed with a plurality of lateral inlet ports 4 and under the preferred embodiment of this invention, four of such ports are provided, the same being arranged equi-distantly from each other, or in diametrically opposite pairs. These ports extend upward as far as the conical face 3 and each of said ports 4 is divided from the adjacent ports by an intervening bar or division piece 5, the opposite edges of which are beveled or chamfered as shown at 6 for the purpose of reducing the friction surface of the valve body against the interior of the valve casing and for the further purpose of allowing a small portion of the air contained within the valve to pass into a series of oil carrying clearance grooves 7 which extend across the bars 5 immediately adjacent to the conical face 3 of the valve, the said groove 7 communicating at both ends with the outlet ports 4 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lower edge of the valve body is rounded off as shown at 8 to prevent any possibility of that portion of the valve body binding within the valve casing.

, The valve body fits snugly within the valve casing which is shown at 9 so that the working face of the valve rests squarely against the valve seat 10. At a suitable point below the bottom edge of the valve body, the valve casing is provided with any desired number of inlet orifices 11 through which the air finds its way to the interior of the valve, passing from thence outward through the ports 4 when the valve is lifted by the air pressure.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by locating the ports 4 in opposite relation to each other, the atmospheric action on the valve is equalized and the valve is perfectly balanced and caused to work toward and away from its seat in a rectilinear path. Just before the working face of the valve reaches its seat, a small quantity of the air passes outward through the port 4 along the grooves 7 and is distributed along the working face of the valve, thereby providing a thin film or body of air and oil between the working face of the valve and the valve seat which cushions the seating of the valve and obviates the objectional and mechanical pounding of the valve. The clearance grooves 7 also permit any sediment or accumulation of matter between the valve face and the valve seat to work its way out with the oil from between said contacting faces and pass through the ports 4 into the inside of the valve body and escape. The valve is thus perfectly balanced and the pressure thereon equalized so as to insure the smooth action of the valve, and it will further be seen that all danger of valve pounding is overcome. Furthermore, the friction of the valve is perceptibly reduced, which prevents the heating of the valve and prolongs the life and working efficiency thereof. Besides, the whole center of the valve is left open and unobstructed to permit the free passage of air therethrough.

I claim:

An automatic self-balancing valve comprising a hollow cylindrical body and a conical working face, the valve body being provided at opposite places with ports which extend to the conical working face, and bars extending lengthwise of the body and separating said ports one from another and having their opposite edges reversely beveled, the valve body having a groove around the base of the conical working face which crosses the bars and intersects the ports at one end only of the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS MARSH HENDERSON. Witnesses H F. TWIFORD, E. M. BUSHEY. 

